Webs make me angry
by Romantic Twist
Summary: Action and romance, when the 1977 TV show Spider-Man meets the 1977-1983 TV show Hulk, as David banner is the victim of a robbery at Peter Parker's university. (Includes characters Julie Masters & Jack McGee).
1. Chapter 1

It was late 1977. David Banner's wife was dead. His dearest friend was also dead. To make matters worse, a reporter named Jack McGee mistakenly believed that David Banner himself had been murdered by a large green creature. The truth was that exposure to gamma rays had given David the uncontrollable ability to become large and green and super strong and invulnerable, whenever his stress or fear levels were sufficiently raised.

Having been a long term fan of an old television show called "The Fugitive", David believed that the only thing he could do was go on the run, allowing the myth of his death to continue, until he could purge himself of the gamma radiation poisoning. He would have many adventures in the years to follow. The first of these would be at the university, in New York.

He took the name David Bruce and managed to fill the vacancy for a laboratory assistant at the university. All he needed to do was learn the chemicals, and be sure to deliver the correct ones to the classrooms on time for lessons and tutorials. For a secret scientist, he could do this in his sleep …. which was helpful, because he would begin a practice of sneaking into the classroom laboratories late at night, attempting to cure his condition. Sleep would not be something that his life allowed time to enjoy to excess.

Peter Parker had had several adventures over the last few months, since becoming Spider-Man. He had brought a number of criminals to justice, and kept his duel identity from being known even by his fellow students, his employer Jonah Jameson, his Aunt May, and a beautiful rival reporter named Julie Masters.

It was five o'clock on a Friday afternoon. Peter finished his last class and was about to leave for home. He walked out of the building and began to cross the lawn, when he got a strange sensation. His spider sense, a curious awareness of danger which he had acquired along with his agility, strength and wall sticking powers, told him that the science faculty building was in danger of burglary. He had an image in his head of four of the largest students on campus crouching in the bushes outside the building.

Peter Parker knew that he could not use his spider sense as evidence in court of a robbery that four students were ABOUT to commit. He would have to catch them in the act, after they'd started. Peter ducked around to the side of the building, ascended an external staircase which was out of sight of the four students, and walked onto the roof. There he was unseen, as he unbuttoned his shirt, and pulled a mask over his head. Pulling off his trousers, he checked the positioning of his silvery grey belt and his web shooters, and removed his socks and shoes. His red and blue costume bore the black emblem of a spider on his chest. He was ready for action.

Peeking over the edge of the building, he watched the campus empty of all students except four. Those he saw emerge from the bushes wearing balaclavas and begin to climb a drainpipe. The external staircase that Peter had used would not allow access to the supply room. The drainpipe was the only way to break in. When the first of them reached the window, he took a tool from his holster strap and began to jemmy the window. It soon gave way, as windows were known to do in 1977, and the four young men made their way in. They stole quietly through the first room and were about to enter the supply room, when they saw a man, presumably the janitor, look up from a desk with a computer. He wasn't one of the science teachers, but had been seen by one of them, when some beakers were brought to the classroom.

"We can't do anything but run for it now," said one of them quietly.

"Are you kidding? We'll never get another chance at that stuff once he gives the word. It's worth a fortune."

"And how do we stop him telling on us?"

"We all agreed we'd do anything to be rich. We have to keep enrolling in one university after another every semester, while we're still young enough to pass for students. We clean the labs out, sell the gear and make it while we're young. I say we shut him up, permanently."

David Banner's own clandestine behaviour didn't trouble him nearly as much as the sight of four masked figures creeping through the science building after hours. He had seen them, and he knew that they had seen him. The best thing to do was hide. He backed into the supply room, as they entered the office he was using, and locked the door from the inside.

"You open it up, or we come in and snuff you," said one of the robbers.

One of them charged the door side on, jarring it with his shoulder, but failing to open it.

"We'll have to kick it in," said another.

Inside, fearful for his life, David Banner heard them pounding the door with their feet.

"This can't happen!" he thought in panic, "I need my anonymity here! I need access to this building's computer and chemicals! I need to live!"

Then he saw the thick wood begin to splinter inwards in his direction. A few more kicks and they'd be through …. and he would be through, through as a laboratory assistant.


	2. Chapter 2

A green glow appeared in David's eyes. His body began to increase a little in size. His shirt was torn into strips of fabric. Since his first transformation into the Hulk, David had made a point of wearing severely over sized trousers, done up with cheap belts. As his skin took a green pallor and his legs and waist grew larger, they tightly filled out the trousers and split the belt. He always kept a spare rolled up in his left trouser pocket, but that was the least of his concerns right now.

A deep growl came from his vocal chords, as he tossed away the remains of his shirt. The door gave way, as pieces of it fell to the ground in front of him. Looking through the opening they'd made, four robbers gaped in horror and disbelief, as they saw, not the timid looking laboratory assistant, but a tall green faced raging monster of a man snarling fiercely at them.

"We didn't sign up for this! Let's beat it!" said one of them, and they turned and headed for the window.

To their surprise, the window had a giant white spider web blocking their only means of escape. Looking back in horror, they saw the Hulk's fists effortlessly punching through what remained of the door, allowing him easy escape from the room which, as far as they knew, had once sheltered David Bruce from their initial pursuit of him.

"There's four of us. He's just one big man, not that much bigger than us. Let's take him!" said the leader of the gang.

The four students charged the Hulk simultaneously. One tackled his legs, yet was unable to move them. The other three attempted to rumble his body. Twisting his torso in defiant fury, the Hulk flung the top three assailants aside in all directions, and then glared down at the last attacker. Reaching down, he picked the would be thief up by the shoulder and tossed him across the room, where the man fell against a cabinet and collapsed.

The other three were struggling to crawl away on the floor, before he turned his attention on them again. With his mind clouded by the gamma radiation's usually dormant effects, unable to think with more than the simplicity of a five year old child, the Hulk wanted only to escape from the confines of the building. He ran at the window, smashing through Spider-Man's web barrier and a portion of the wall, as though it wasn't even there, and landed on the lawn below. Running off into the campus grounds as the sun began to set, the Hulk was soon out of sight.

Peter Parker's camera was web fastened to the side of the building, only inches below the roof, and pointed downwards. He had set it to take pictures automatically at several second intervals. It had caught snap shots of him crawling down the side of the building, without the aid of the drain pipe, and setting up his web barrier on the window. He had been planning to change back to his Peter Parker identity and call the campus security to report Spider-Man's snaring of the robbers within the very building that they had tried to rob.

His plans had been somewhat altered, when he saw the Hulk smashing through the door and facing all four robbers without working up a sweat.

Having seen the mess that the Hulk had made of the wall, the robbers used the new opening to struggle down the drainpipe, only to see Spider-Man swing down into view. None of them had the energy to fight a normal strength human, after the injuries they'd sustained from their brief bout with the Hulk. Spider-Man webbed their hands and legs together and then quickly crawled up onto the roof, and jumped from one rooftop to another, until he saw what he was looking for:

Sitting placidly on a now darkened section of campus garden, the large green man was getting thinner, slightly shorter, and his complexion was becoming that of a caucasian man. Spider-Man jumped down to the ground and recognised the face of the somewhat delirious looking man. It was the laboratory assistant he'd occasionally seen as Peter Parker.

"That's quite an instant weight loss program you've got going there," said Spider-Man.

"It's much more than that," said Banner, "I don't seem to remember what I do while I'm … like that. Did I hurt anyone?"

"Four aspiring burglars can add bruises to the arrest that campus security is about to organize," said Spider-Man, "But I'd better get you out of here until we can improve your wardrobe."

David got to his feet, and allowed Spider-Man to put an arm around his chest, while he shot his other arm's web-shooter up to a flag pole which was jutting out at the top of a three storey building. Spidey's powerful legs, launched him into a swing, and he and David reached the rooftop of the science building, where Spider-Man retrieved his regular clothes and was about to put them on.

"On second thoughts, I'll stay in costume a while longer, so that you can take my shirt and shoes," said Spidey.

"Most of my earnings go to food and replacement clothing," said David, who was still clutching his over sized trousers with one hand to keep them from falling down, "…. I'll get my belt out. I keep a spare on me."

"How long has this been going on?" asked Spidey.

"Ever since …. Can we get out of here first?" asked David.

"I'll take you to my place," said Spider-Man, and swung David through the city, until he reached his home.


	3. Chapter 3

Having removed his Spider-Man costume, Peter greeted his aunt and explained that David was a friend from university, and Aunt May put on extra food for their overnight guest. Once up in Peter's room, David told his whole story.

"I'm a scientist too, and I've also been affected by radiation," said Peter, "Having seen your double exposure tonight, I thought it only fair to let you in on my appearance out of costume too, "In my case I was bitten by an irradiated spider and took on its abilities. I don't know anything about gamma radiation like you do, but it's possible that an injection of my radioactive spider blood could enable you to gain something from my spider sense, perhaps an ability to retain control of your faculties when you transform into the Hulk."

"I don't know what to say, Peter, except thanks. If I can't stop the transformations, then gaining some retention of my mental state would be the best chance I've got at continuing to conceal my identity and leading a normal life," said Banner.

"I have to deliver some photographs of Spider-Man in action to my boss at the Daily Bugle on Sunday morning, and I never do any class work or Bugle work on the Saturday Sabbath," said Peter, "But why don't we try it on Sunday afternoon? I've got blood test sampling needles and injection syringes here."

On weekends, the entire university was closed, but Monday morning would be another matter. Peter knew that the story would be the subject of every newspaper's interest. First thing Sunday morning, he gave Jonah the pictures.

"They're good, Parker, but rumours are already spreading of a green hulking man monster on your campus early Friday night. I need pictures of that wall smashing menace too. You should be able to keep your ear to the ground on your own study time tomorrow, Parker. Bring me back a story I and pictures that won't leave us trailing behind the Inquisitor."

There was no way that Peter was offering up David Banner to be interviewed about his involvement, not even with his role in the Hulk episode left out. David valued his privacy, and his anonymity. Peter understood those needs well. So he got to work on David's treatments and then wondered how to test the results of the blood transfusion.

"We could find a place where nobody would get hurt, and try to trigger my transformation," said David, "But knowing that it was just an experiment might prevent me from reaching a stress level that would cause it."

"I guess the most we can do is keep in touch at the university until something else sets you off, and then hope that you'll stay in control of your brain then," said Peter.

Neither of them would ever know what had really resulted from the spider blood transfusion. Peter had transferred a small side effect of his spider sense to David, something that would benefit the unwitting doctor Banner for several years to come. While in his Hulk form, David would continue to revert to the mind of a child, and also continue to vent his gamma fueled rage. However, the combination of his gamma radiation and Peter's spider-sense would enable the Hulk to dimly recall the details of whatever problem was facing David Banner just before his transformation into the Hulk, on any given occasion. He would always finish whatever David started, albeit smashing up all manner of objects in the process. He would continue to never kill, being an extension of David Banner's non-homicidal personality. However many bullies (everyone from a wife bashing child beater to a tractor theiving thug) would be humbled by the Hulk's brute force in the years ahead.

For now, Peter and David turned up to the university separately, to avoid making their new association public, both early on Monday morning. Peter noticed a crowd gathered on the lawn. Several students were keenly watching the Dean being interviewed by both Peter's rival Julie Masters and the National Register's persistent Hulk follower Jack McGee.

"Dean Morris, my paper's not just interested in getting a story," said McGee, "I'm offering a substantial reward for any information leading to the capture of the creature."

"Take a look at what we're hiring a construction crew to mend," said the Dean, pointing up to the remains of the wall below the window, "Just what sort of information would help you to capture anyone who could do that?"

"There must be a reason the creature was here on your campus," said McGee, "The night I first saw him, he burned out a research institute and killed the leading scientist there. Could he be after one of your teachers?"

Spotting Peter's arrival, Julie snapped a few more shots of the Dean, and walked away from the interview, heading towards Peter.

"I thought I'd get some shots of the window area," she said, and pointed her camera upwards at an angle.

"It happened just after I left," said Peter, and took some pictures of his own.

David Banner, having heard McGee shouting his questions out at the Dean, had decided to stay out of sight. Hopefully it would be assumed that he'd gone home at the end of the day, after his duties were completed, and not even witnessed the attack. The burglars might have described a man working at a desk whom they had interrupted. Hopefully the Dean would assume that it had been one of the teachers, and try in vain to work out which one.

"Say, Peter, couldn't I get an exclusive shot of the damage inside up there?" asked Julie.

"Not this time," said Peter, keen to see David's life spared any further complications.

"Hey no fair," Julie taunted, "A student like you could get all the photos he wanted for his paper."


	4. Chapter 4

She was so gorgeous that it was sometimes hard to resist her requests, but their friendly competition had always continued, and Peter didn't know what another reporter would do, if she ever got close enough to him to learn that he was Spider-Man. Right now, all he wanted to do was check on David's welfare, and see if the secret scientist was feeling any after effects from the spider sense blood transfusion.

"I have to go, Julie. Some of us need to study as well as earn an income."

She blew him a teasing kiss and walked away to deliver her pictures to her own employer. Peter went and found David at their pre-arranged meeting place.

"I can't be seen until that reporter McGee's gone," said David, "He was the one who mistook me for my own murderer at the fire, when I was transformed."

"He won't learn much from the Dean," said Peter, "But how can you fix all this if you just keep moving on?"

"I don't just move on in order to stay anonymous," said David, "I have to leave each new traumatic half-recalled memory behind. It's your fully cognizant Peter Parker mind that's responsible for everything you do. Everywhere I go, I have only David Banner's memories of his parts of any experience. The Hulk's behaviour is never recalled. I've helplessly seen my wife die. I've tried to tap into hidden strengths, using gamma radiation treatments. In doing that, I've caused the accident that plagues me with these uncontrolled transformations, only to see the death of the only other woman I ever cared for, the one who understood me from my childhood to present day, the one I could have confided in about my secret problem for the rest of my life, because she was there when it started. I've seen so much grief, that I don't know when it will ever end. Every time I find myself shirtless and confused, with memories missing, every time I talk to people I've known a short while and hear what my other self has just done, I feel sick to the stomach, not just over whatever's just happened, but because every new Hulking session keeps me from ever forgetting that the two women I loved most in all the world are dead and gone, and I'm helpless."

"And to think I wasn't helpless to save my Uncle Ben, if only I'd had your convictions to act when I could have," muttered Peter softly.

To the surprise of both of them, Julie Masters slowly walked around the corner of the corridor and into view, with a tear forming in her eye.

"I followed you up here, Peter. I wanted to use this, but not now," she said, taking a small mini cassette recorder from her pocket.

She took out the cassette, and began pulling out the tape and ripping it to pieces.

"Nobody will find out anything you just told Peter," said Julie.

"It's just as well that David's reference to my double life was only understood by me," thought Peter, "But why didn't my spider-sense detect that Julie was only meters away and spying on us? It's because she wasn't a danger. She's just shown that with her selfless good intentions. She wanted more of a story, but she decided against ruining David's privacy, even as she overheard the pulitzer prize potential material."

"Thank you, Miss…" began David.

"Julie Masters," she prompted.

"But I'm afraid that Jack McGee won't be so understanding. I have to move on, Peter. I can't go on working here. The Hulk's performance will go on drawing interest and attention that I just don't need… along with the unwanted half memories too."

"It's a shame you can't stay. We're alike in terms of grief and loss and science and tragedy," said Peter.

"Can I drive you out of town?" asked Julie.

"It's best if I slip off alone … right now," said David, and walked slowly away.

Peter had often wondered what Julie would have done with the knowledge that he'd been bitten by a radioactive spider and become New York's costumed web swinging super hero. Now he had just seen her sacrifice a major career opportunity in order to look out for the emotional needs of a far less popular super powered being.

"Thanks, Julie," he said, "That was thoughful and selfless."

"Peter, you never told me you felt responsible for your Uncle Ben's death. How could YOU have stopped it? You weren't there, when the robber shot him."

"I was there when the same robber held up someone else. I could have stopped him BEFORE he ever got to Uncle Ben's house weeks later," said Peter, "But I just didn't care, until I learned my lesson too late."

That was as much as he would tell her for the moment.

Julie put her arm around him.

"You're feeling survivor's guilt, like David, but neither of you are to blame."

"I used to think you were pushy, until he told me about McGee. But today, just now, I thought you were every bit as sweet and caring as you are pretty."

He felt her other arm reaching around behind him too, and he embraced her as well. He would not decide today, whether he would share the secret of Spider-Man's identity with her, but one decision had just become crystal clear in his mind.

Peter Parker kissed Julie Masters and felt the enthusiasm with which she responded.

"I didn't know if rivals could ever make it," she said eventually.

"We're only rivals in our day jobs, from now on," said Peter, "Although I do have to get to class now."

"I guess college canteen food can't be worse than a New York street hot dog stand," said Julie, "What time do you take lunch?"


End file.
